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Columbus Circle [Blu-ray]
(George Gallo, 2012)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Blue Star Entertainment Video: Universal
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:25:54.149 Disc Size: 26,059,029,383 bytes Feature Size: 23,403,282,432 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.68 Mbps Chapters: 20 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: March 6th, 2012
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.4:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: VC-1 Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 3712 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3712 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish, none
Extras: • My Scenes
Bitrate:
Description: Mysterious and attractive heiress Abigail Clayton has not left her luxurious mid-town Manhattan loft apartment for almost two decades. The famous daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Abigail disappeared from the prying eyes of the press and the intrusiveness of her family on her 18th birthday, the day she received her massive inheritance. During years of self-imposed isolation, Abigail has had contact with only two people: her building's Concierge, Klandermann (Kevin Pollak), with whom she communicates via notes -- and Dr. Raymond Fontaine (Beau Bridges), a long-time family friend and her sole confidant for most of her life. When the death of her elderly neighbour prompts NYPD Homicide Detective Frank Giardello (Giovanni Ribisi) to launch an investigation, the agoraphobic Abigail is distressed to find him outside her door, asking to question her. Having tried to acquire the dead woman's now vacant apartment to ensure her privacy, Abigail is further upset when her requests go unanswered and new tenants, wealthy Lillian (Amy Smart) and Charlie (Jason Lee) move in. Abigail anxiously monitors her combative new neighbours from the safety of her front door's peephole, but her well-ordered world begins to unravel when she finally encounters Lillian and Charlie face-to-face-and her sheltered existence becomes threatened in unexpected and terrifying ways.
The Film: Abigail Clayton (Selma Blair) lives alone. Very alone. In fact, the heiress has not left her Manhattan apartment for almost two decades. When the death of her elderly neighbor prompts NYPD Homicide Detective Frank Giardello (Giovanni Ribisi) to launch an investigation, the agoraphobic Abigail is distressed to find him outside her door, questioning her. Having tried to acquire the now vacant apartment to ensure her privacy, Abigail is further upset when new tenants Lillian (Amy Smart) and Charlie (Jason Lee) move in. Abigail anxiously monitors her new neighbors from the safety of her front door's peephole, but her well-ordered world begins to unravel when she finally encounters Lillian and Charlie face-to-face and her sheltered existence becomes threatened in unexpected and terrifying ways.
Less a horror/suspense thriller than a double-crossing heist thriller, Columbus Circle has Hitchcockian potential, but despite a strong cast and a premise that delivers some level of intrigue, it can't sustain the sort of consistent tension or unpredictability that the best thrillers of this ilk boast. The core story is solidly engaging, but the script (written by Pollak and George Gallo, whose work ranges from the memorable Midnight Run to the not-so-memorable Code Name: The Cleaner) makes several jumps in logic that are hard to overlook, especially during a nonsensical conclusion that brings any momentum the plot has built to a bewildering halt. Excerpt from About.com located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Video quality of Universal's dual-layered 1080P Blu-ray of Columbus Circle is quite good. The image quality shows strong detail, solid contrast and some occasional depth. Nothing has been done to it digitally - just a straight HD transfer in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Colors are true without embellishment using the, less-common, VC-1 encode. There is no noise to speak of. This Blu-ray probably looks exactly like the film. We can't ask much more.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Good track too - a DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 3712 kbps. There are some deep separations with support from Brian Tyler's score. Violence exists but its is fairly minimal for a crime drama and all effects are rendered well sounding very tight. No complaints at all - it seems to support the film aggressively. There are optional subtitles and m y Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras : Not a lot invested in this title - once completed. It's a straight-to-video job - which is too bad as it certainly had potential. There are no viable extras - not even a trailer. The Universal disc has the obligatory "My Scenes" bookmark ability.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze March 4th, 2012
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
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